Applesauce
by Getsunohimesama
Summary: In which Calry thinks that making amends entails cooking and enlists the help of the two least appropriate people in the world to help her with it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: There is just one thing you need to do kind visitor, while reading this. Roll with it. Roll with all of it. Thank you and please enjoy! :D**

 **Special thanks must go to my good friend TTY7-chan, who helped me out through the more difficult parts of this story. I would like to inform the audience that I would totally buy her some non-suspicious candy as a thanks if I wasn't such a cheap person. Thanks a bunch! :D**

Yusei Fudo had had a very difficult day.

One would think that after defeating Rex Goodwin and the King of the Underworld in a Duel, saving the world from turning into Hell on Earth in the process, the young heroes would get a rest and duel just for the fun of it, not for the sake of humanity. Not to say that Yusei didn't have his own goals and dreams, things that he planned to achieve no matter the cost, but was it so wrong to just want to _rest_ for a while?

In his humble, low-class opinion, it was a perfectly reasonable request.

As he took the last turn to reach his apartment, he couldn't help but think of one of those traveling agency advertisements, where the beaches were a brilliant blue and beautiful, bikini-clad ladies served drinks with wide smiles. Unbidden, the image of Akiza clad in one of those bikinis came to his mind.

 _No. No such thoughts. No._ he repeated to himself as he walked the final steps. _Focus Yusei. You are not some pervert. Go get some rest before it's time to bring in more of… Jack's… stuff… what the hell?_

Yusei raised an eyebrow at the image of none other than the one and only Carly Carmine trying to pick the lock to his apartment.

 _I am going to regret asking._

"What are you doing?" he asked the glasses-wearing brunette dryly.

"Hush you idiot, I am trying to concentrate! I must be out of here before Yusei… comes…"

As if just realizing what she was saying, the would-be reporter turned her head around slowly, her face the personification of guilt. "Oh! Uh… hey there… Yus… nice weather huh?"

 _Yus...? And what's with the mustache?_

The Signer simply raised his eyebrow higher. He knew that Carly would be unable to stand against the Glare for too long.

He was right.

"I am so, so, so, so sorry Yusei!" the girl, much to his surprise, broke down sobbing. "I am so sorry I had no other choice please forgive me _waaaahhhhh!"_

 _I am not mentally equipped to deal with this._

"Carly, it's okay, calm down! Just… just tell me what you were doing."

The brunette took a few calming breaths, as her hands fell to her sides in defeat. Yusei noticed two horribly mutilated paperclips in her fists, which she had clearly believed capable of opening the door to his apartment.

"I just… I, you know, what happened _then_ … with Jack, I…" Carly stopped talking for a moment, trying to regain control of her voice. Yusei's eyes softened.

Akiza – _don'tthinkofthebikini, don'tthinkofthebikini, don'tthinkofthebikini_ \- had told him that Carly held no memories of her duel with Jack during her time as a Dark Signer. Jack himself had been less than willing to talk about it, but Yusei could tell, by the look in his friend's eyes how dear he held that experience, no matter how terrible it must have been. He had looked devastated, however there had been something different about him, about the way he had carried himself and even in the way he had dueled. The determination shining in his eyes had told Yusei a lot about what that duel had meant to his old friend. And while Jack, after learning that Carly could not remember their duel or her time as a Dark Signer at all, had decided to never discuss it again, Yusei had noticed the content look in his eyes whenever Carly would come around, no matter how he tried to sound like his usual, grumpy self.

"I just wanted to make it up to him… you know?"

 _Even so…_

"That does not explain why you are trying to break into my house." he told her patiently. Carly became flustered once more and began stuttering an answer. _This is getting ridiculous._ "Carly. Calm down, I am not going to eat you. Just tell me what you were trying to do."

Carly sighed. "Well, I… I wanted to make it up to Jack and uh… well, you see, I am broke and I really cannot use any of my savings because then I will be _really_ broke and I thought… um…"

"…Were you trying to rob my house for cash?"

"…No…?"

Yusei raised the eyebrow again.

"Yes, okay? Yes! I thought that with the prize money you could afford it, but then again I wasn't going to take _everything_ … just a little bit… that I could sell…"

"Something that you could sell?"

"Yeah, uh, you see I am broke and I really cannot use any-"

"Alright, alright." Yusei sighed. "How much do you need?"

"I…am not sure."

"What did you plan on taking?"

The reporter blushed scarlet. "The TV."

Yusei looked at her incredulously. "The TV?"

Carly bit her lip. "And the computer…?"

Yusei blinked. "Did you mean to build him a golden statue?"

"No! I just… oh forget it! I don't _want_ your stupid electronics anyway!" the flustered brunette tried to get past him, paperclips clutched tightly in her fists. Yusei sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I am sorry. Here." He removed his bank card from his jacket pocket. "Use as much as you need, to a reasonable extent. Just bring the card back in one peace."

To his amusement, Carly looked up at him with stars in her eyes.

"Thank you Yusei! I'll guard it as if it was my own child!"

"Uh, I don't think-" he began, but Carly was already out of sight. Putting a hand behind his head, he stared towards the direction she had taken.

 _She really did look cute though._

He was still amused with the whole ordeal as he entered the house, slightly shaking his head at the brunette's antics. To his horror however, the image of Akiza in a bikini returned with a vengeance, only for it to now include Carly with an equally small swimsuit.

 _Oh for the love of…_

* * *

 _Carly Carmine was not having an easy day._

 _The need to apologize to Jack for all the trouble she had caused him during the fight against the Dark Signers, by being one of them no less, was eating away at her, but what could she do? She retained no memory of the period she had spent as a servant of the Earthbound Immortals, so she found that a simple apology would be dull and meaningless. She felt terrible for standing in his way, in all of their ways, of supporting those who would take away everything beautiful from this world. But, as always, the blonde was dominating her thoughts. She had targeted him and had almost killed him._

 _And yet, while she believed that events had played out as they had been described to her, she couldn't bring herself to feel as mortified as she should. It sounded like someone else's story and so she couldn't apologize properly, not like this. So she had decided she would allow her actions to speak for themselves._

 _Carly Carmine had come up with a brilliant plan._

 _She would get into his house, she would clean up a bit and cook him a nice dinner. She had downloaded a few recipes and had concluded in what she believed to be a very good menu. Now, she wasn't exactly the greatest of chefs, but she was certain she would manage._

 _For safety sake though, she printed the recipes. Just to avoid breaking her most important possession._

And now for step number one.

 _Carly Carmine was in dire need for cash. Thinking over it for a while, she slowly came up with a plan._ It is risky, _she had thought,_ but if it succeeds… and besides, it's not like Yusei won't be able to replace it all with the prize money.

 _Yes. It was perfect. She just needed one more thing._

What do my little Fortune Fairies have to tell me about this?

 _She shuffled her deck with newfound energy and drew a card._

* * *

As Carly entered Jack's apartment, her groceries securely in her arms, she promised herself that she would never, ever allow herself to recall this day prior to her entering the apartment of her target. She looked around curiously, taking in the interior of the house. It was relatively clean and, barring a thin layer of dust, in a good condition.

She made her way to the kitchen, noticing a few boxes here and there, but deciding not to pry too much. After all, she was going to clean a little while the chicken marinated, so it wasn't like she couldn't take her time in checking things in more detail.

 _For cleaning purposes only of course._

Placing her shopping bags on the counter, she began taking out the stuff from inside and putting them into piles of things that she could remember she would need for each dish… and another pile for what she couldn't remember what to do with. Eventually she sighed in resignation and placed everything in one big pile, only taking away what needed to be put in the fridge. As she finished, it dawned on her that she should probably do something about the door.

Said door was hanging open, the key mechanism well and truly destroyed. Her paperclips had served her here about as well as they had in Yusei's house. So, in a moment of frustration, she decided enough was enough and kicked the door out of the way.

There were few things that could stand against the power of love and the door to Jack's house wasn't one of them.

Carly thought for a bit, before walking into the living room, where she had spotted the boxes. Picking one up carefully, she shut the door and placed the box behind it to keep it so. She inspected her work with a frown.

 _It's not perfect, but it should do just fine. Now, where would the cleaning products be…? No, no wait! The chicken first! Yes! Priorities Carly!_

The kitchen was a simple one, with a refrigerator and a stove, along with a coffee machine and finally a round kitchen table with four chairs. A few utensils in the drawer and instant ramen stuffed in various cupboards. Carly had begun the day assuming that Jack's fridge was empty and had created her shopping list accordingly and she was now grateful for it. She took the prints of the recipes out of her bag and opened them to the main course.

 _So… first, to marinate the chicken. No, first to pound it._

Carly searched around and, as she had half expected, found no mallet. _Well. I guess I will just have to improvise then._

Searching around for a while, she had almost given up on finding something appropriate when she noticed the butter box. _Could work…_

Grabbing it, the brunette raised her hand and brought the box down on the first chicken breast with all her strength.

* * *

 _Fortune Fairy En._

 _Carly looked at the red little fairy in slight disappointment._

 _A level two monster, which meant that her day wouldn't be what she needed it to: absolutely perfect. Not that it was bad luck exactly- but in order for her plan to succeed the way she wanted it to, everything had to go down smoothly._

I guess I will just have to be extra careful today.

* * *

Things were definitely not going her way this time around. It almost seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion, as the chicken breast slipped from the counter the moment the box made contact and fell towards the floor. Carly leaped in the air to catch it, only to fall on her stomach, her glasses breaking in the process. For a second, the brunette remained in shock, trying to understand what had taken place.

"My glasses…" she whispered in horror. While she wasn't blind without them per se, doing things would be… challenging.

 _I cannot let a silly setback like that get in the way. This is my apology to Jack- no matter what, it_ _ **will**_ _be perfect._

With determination in her eyes, Carly picked the cursed chicken breast from her hair and stood up. The expression on her face should probably be enough to convince the meat to just pound itself into shape, but as things stood, the reporter calmly used the butter box to do her business, with no further accidents. She took out a bowl and put in some olive oil, oregano, a tiny bit of white wine and finally salt and pepper. In the end she also added the chicken breasts.

"Very well. Now, how long should I leave it in…" she muttered, as she narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the letters. Frowning, she bent over slowly, her nose almost touching the prints. "Fifty minutes… that is a bit long, isn't it?"

She had skimmed through the recipe the previous night and she couldn't recall that part. But then again she hadn't been particularly thorough either, so it wasn't _that_ unbelievable. Shrugging, she put the bowl in the fridge and quickly proceeded to mix the bread crumbs, the Parmesan and the… ground cinnamon? Shaking her head she read that part again, only to come up with the same result. Deciding to stop questioning everything, she proceeded to follow the instructions in preparation for the frying of the chicken.

* * *

 _Yusei had been kind enough to allow her to use his bank card and Carly was dancing inside. Only until she was half-way to the bank did she realize that she never stayed around to ask for his PIN code. Sighing, she turned around and walked the way to his apartment. She knocked on the door, only for the one behind it to turn out to be none other than a shirtless Jack Atlas. Carly felt her blood-pressure sky-rocketing._

" _Carly? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised. Then his eyes narrowed. "What's with the mustache?"_

" _H-H-Hey there Jack! H-How's it going?" she asked lamely, trying to cover her nosebleed with her hand. "I-Is Yusei home?"_

 _Jack studied her with an unreadable expression. "Yeah. Let me get him for you." He shut the door in her face and Carly took advantage of his absence to wipe all the blood off of her face, tear the fake moustache off and patiently waited for Yusei to come out._

 _Said person was already making his way down the hallway the moment he heard Carly's voice, ignoring Jack's questioning glare as he passed him by. He had deduced that Jack was unaware of the bespectacled reporter's plans and hadn't mentioned to his friend of her earlier… visit. He also knew that the girl had, in her giddiness, forgotten all about the PIN code she would need to actually get the money. "Can I help you Carly?"_

" _You know only you-" she stopped abruptly as she noticed Jack standing right behind Yusei, his hands crossed in front of his very much still naked chest. This time Carly was prepared for it however and calmly brought the handkerchief in front of her nose to prevent further blood loss. "Could we speak in private?"_

" _Of course. Follow me please."_

 _As Carly followed Yusei to his room, she could feel Jack's eyes burning holes in her back. She tried to ignore it as best as she could, but that did not mean that she did not sigh in relief once the door closed shut behind her._

" _I forgot-"_

" _The PIN, yes. Here." Yusei quickly scribbled the code on a piece of paper and handed it over._

" _Thanks! And uh, sorry for the trouble!" she apologized, clutching the paper._

" _Don't mention it."_

" _By the way, if you could do me another tiny little favor… say, keep him around for a bit longer, say-"_

" _Until eight, maybe a bit later. Sorry, it is the best I can do without actively pinning him down." he explained, rubbing the back of his head._

" _That would be perfect! Thanks, you are the best!" she yelled enthusiastically, with a grin splitting her face in two._

" _If you need anything else-"_

" _I'll call you!" she yelled from the end of the hallway, already gone._

How does she keep doing that…?

 _Yusei walked out of his room, only to find Jack staring at him in a very creepy way and Crow shaking his head._

" _Uh…"_

" _Five minutes." Jack simply said, turning on his heel and exiting the house, presumably to get dressed and get his Duel Runner running._

 _Crow waited for Jack to go away before giving Yusei a piece of his mind._

" _What are you doing Yusei? What happened to the Bro Code man?"_

" _The Bro Code?" asked Yusei confused._

" _Carly? Really Yusei? How could you do this?"_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _Should Jack date Akiza then? How would that feel to you, huh?"_

Date Akiza?

 _The image of a bikini-clad Akiza in a beautiful beach filled his mind completely, only this time, her smile was directed not to him, but to Jack. Yusei felt an unreasonable urge to punch the blonde in the face. With a metal pipe. That was when it dawned on him what Crow was really telling him._

" _You've got it all wrong! Let me explain!"_

" _By all means, let me call Jack and-"_

" _NO! Jack absolutely must not learn a thing!"_

 _Crow narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you_ _ **sure**_ _you are not violating the Code?"_

 _Yusei sighed. As he lowered his voice and explained to Crow the mission Carly had placed upon his shoulders, along with the 'why', a very disconcerting glint appeared in Crow's eyes._

" _Fudo! Don't make me drag you down here by the hair!" Jack called from outside. Yusei looked at Crow almost pleadingly. The latter grinned._

" _Oh, don't you worry old buddy. I've got your back."_

 _Somehow, this made Yusei feel like he had just committed a grievous error in judgment._

" _Fudo!"_

" _Coming!"_

* * *

After the vegetables had been chopped and the meat was marinating safely in the fridge, Carly proceeded to look for some house-cleaning products. After finding the kitchen empty, she passed the living room and followed the hallway down to the bathroom door. Carefully opening the door, she checked under the basin and voila! Picking the appropriate product, she left the bathroom and went back to the kitchen, picked a towel out of the drawer and moved on to the living room.

Mostly everything was packed away, with only a coffee table and comfortable-looking couch decorating the room. Humming a song, she wiped the dust off the table and fluffed the couch pillows.

 _There must be a vacuum somewhere around…_ she thought with a frown.

As she started to leave the living room, however, she caught a distinct smell.

 _Is that… bug spray?_

The terrible realization dawned on her slowly as the brunette grabbed the product she had used to clean the dust. It had a bright green color, just like the product she used to keep her car clean, but by focusing more on the letters she could now clearly see the difference.

"You… you _idiot!"_ she yelled at herself, slapping her face with both hands. Carly moved to quickly open the windows, to let in some fresh air, however in her haste she tripped over her feet and landed face-first on the wooden coffee table. She waited for the dizziness to subside a bit, before standing up with a groan of pain. She could feel the splinters in her skin more than she would have liked with every move she made and it really-

 _Wait a minute… splinters…? Oh no._

Carly looked down at the table in horror. Somehow her fall had managed to break it neatly in half. She stared at the disaster in her hands for a full minute before it fully sank in, at which point, she snapped.

" _WAHHHHHHHH! I've really done it this time!"_ she cried loudly, pulling her hair. " _How am I even going to fix this?!"_

Looking around frantically, she spotted the duct tape that was holding the many boxes around her closed. Well, not "spotted", not really. But even with her blurred vision, the silver row on top and around of the brown boxes was enough of an indicator of its function that the desperate girl held onto as a last hope of salvation. The reporter began tearing at the boxes, looking for something she could use to cover up the huge crack… and the fact that the table had been split in half. She didn't need it to be a permanent solution anyhow- just something that would last the night. She opened boxes and emptied them from their contents, looking for a table cloth, or a really large towel or _anything_ really. By that point, she would gladly use one of Jack's beloved trench coats to cover up this catastrophe. However, after opening every single box in the living room and the hallway, finding not a single article of clothing or even a bloody bath towel, she decided that enough was enough and began devising a more permanent plan.

Twenty minutes into it and she had already ruled out burning and throwing it out the window. Sitting on the couch, brainstorming on how to deal with this new, sudden and unwelcome development, she decided on two things. Moving the table away from a position where the damage was obvious and pretending she never saw it before in her life was the best course of action in this situation. That and she should really buy a couch like that when she became a famous reporter with an actual house.

With a sigh, Carly got off the couch and began dragging the first piece of what once was a very troublesome coffee table.

* * *

"And now! Stardust Dragon, destroy his Life Points! Cosmic Flare!"

 **Yusei: 200 LP**

 **Jack: 0 LP**

Yusei brought his Duel Runner to a halt and looked back at Jack, who removed his helmet.

"I think that is enough." the blonde duelist said as he got off his own Duel Runner. "Two out of three for you today, but don't think I will go easy on you tomorrow, Yusei. Be prepared to lose that title soon."

"But Jack, it was three out of three!"

" _Fine!_ Three out of three. Happy?"

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I am behind on packing. I should get back home and-"

"No!" _I promised Carly! I must keep him here! It's still only five thirty!_

Jack raised an eyebrow at Yusei, obviously expecting an explanation.

"Um… I thought you might want to give it one more try? Let's have another two out of three!"

"As tempting as the offer is, no. I told you, I need to get on with packing up. You could come over and help if you'd like."

 _What do I do? I can't let him go!_ "What's up Jack? Tired of losing?" _I am doing this for you old friend. Please forgive me._

Jack's body went unnaturally still as he slowly turned his head to glare at Yusei. He swallowed and tried to grin at the blonde, but it came out more as if his facial muscles had suffered through a terrible disease. _Carly better appreciate what I am doing here._

"You will get your match _champion._ This time I _will_ trample you beneath my wheels!"

Yusei put on his helmet and smirked. "We will see about that."

" _Let's duel!"_

* * *

"Phew. That should do nicely."

Carly inspected her work. One half of the table that once decorated Jack's living room was now behind his bed, while the rest was shoved behind the opened boxes in the hallway. It was considerably heavier than it looked, which forced Carly to participate in a nice work-out that wasn't actually nice at all. In fact it was horrible. By the end of it her back was aching mighty terribly, that it was. _In the name of lo- apologizing, I must not falter._

That was around the time her phone alarm went off.

"Aaaah! Six! It's already six!" she yelled in horror and rushed into the kitchen, completely forgetting about any rest. She pulled out the chicken, the vegetables and the ingredients for the desert. She made her way back to the counter, dangerously balancing everything into one big pile in her arms. After giving it a bit of thought she shoved everything regarding the main dish in a corner and began chopping the apples for the desert with the speed of light. Checking with her prints, she mixed baking soda, salt and ground basil, along with a bit of pepper and twenty cups of sugar. Then, she proceeded to throw in some olive oil and the chopped apples, along with the walnuts and finally, the eggs and vanilla. Or at least so the reporter thought. In her haste, the brunette had grabbed the first white tube within sight, resulting in the already considerably messed-up apple pie mix to now include two teaspoons of mozzarella. Mixing everything in the larger bowl she could find until it was a slightly greenish blend, she proceeded to batter the pan and spill the bowl's contents inside. Finally, she set the oven to preheat to 230 ˚C. She checked the time. It was six forty five.

"I just hope Yusei will be able to keep him out of here…" she muttered desperate. This was not going according to plan.

* * *

"For the sixth time! Cosmic Flare!"

 **Yusei: 1800 LP**

 **Jack: 0 LP**

Jack shielded his eyes as, once more, Stardust Dragon reduced his Life points to nothing.

"Alright, that's _it._ I am going home."

"Already?"

Jack glared back at his childhood friend. "As. I. Said. Time to go home."

Yusei checked his watch: six forty five. _An hour more. Then I can sleep with my conscious clear._ "Are you up for another?"

"No."

"I… uh… can help you pack, if you'd like. Just give me a few minutes to uh… shower and change clothes and do my laundry and we can be on our way."

"Seriously?"

"…Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Are you trying to keep me from going home?" the blonde demanded, narrowing his eyes at the other duelist.

"Ah, well…"

"See you tomorrow."

 _I am sorry Carly, I did the best I could. It's on you from now on._

Yusei's phone rang just as he finished his mental apology. Checking the caller's ID, Yusei took the call.

"Crow."

"Is Jack leaving?"

"Yeah… I am afraid Jack will be returning home earlier than I promised Carly he would, so I really need to warn-"

"Say no more! Crow's got you buddy, but you better take cover! Nothing shall stop love from finding Jack!" The line went dead.

 _Take cover?_

Before Yusei had enough time to finish that thought, his front door exploded. He immediately fell to the floor, covering his head. Debris fell all around him as the front of the house collapsed. In the far off distance, he could hear someone laughing and someone else cursing. As everything settled down, Yusei raised his head carefully and gasped in horror.

"My house…"

The entire front of the house had been completely destroyed. Standing up slowly, Yusei could see what once was a simple yet wide hallway now completely in ruins, the front door gone and probably in orbit, judging from the force of the blast. As he looked on in shock, a hand suddenly came out from beneath a pile of debris from the ceiling, followed by none other than a very angry Jack Atlas, with his trademark trench coat ripped and his eyes dangerously wide.

"What is the meaning of this?" the blonde demanded angrily, a sentiment that, as the shock slowly faded, Yusei began to share. Crow was approaching with a wide grin that showed all of his teeth, his eyes strangely dilated in their sockets. Chuckles were spilling from his mouth.

"What do you say guys? This is my homemade anti –theft system! Nothing can go through the front door the moment I activate the motion sensors. Pretty sweet, huh?"

"If my Duel Runner has so much as a scratch…" Jack threatened, with a cold dread filling Yusei at the mere idea of the Duel Runner he had built with the help of his friends being harmed.

"No worries, I had them moved! But you still haven't told me your opinion Jack! From a scale of one to ten, with one being the lowest and ten being the highest, how safe do you feel?"

"Have you gone daft?"

"Crow, you could have killed us!"

"Oh, don't be such babies!"

"Why would you even try that! None of us is a thief and you should know that very well!"

"Well." Yusei interrupted. "You do remember stealing my Stardust Dragon and my Duel Runner, right?"

Jack glared. "I _said_ I was sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem, I was just saying…" Yusei turned to Crow. "Speaking of problems, how come you never mentioned explosives in front of the house? Didn't you think it is something we should know?"

"Ahaha… you see, I didn't think it was _that_ important. Besides, it wasn't meant for you and I only activate the sensors during the night so…"

Yusei gave him the Glare. Everyone broke under the Glare.

"Fine! I put them there for safety, but then I lost the detonator and-"

"You _lost_ the detonator?"

"Only for a while!"

The former champion sighed. "Anyway. I am going home. And I will really think about ever setting a single toe in this place." He finished, looking pointedly at Crow, who merely smiled innocently and nodded. While Jack had his back turned, Yusei pointed at his wrist and then shook his head negatively.

 _Still only seven. We need to keep him here for a little bit more._

Crow nodded once and, throwing his arms open as if to hug him, moved on to Jack. "Where do you think you are going buddy? I have something very important that I need your professional opinion on."

"I sincerely doubt that."

"You doubt that I need your professional opinion?"

"I doubt that there is anything 'important' going on in your life."

Crow ignored the comment and, putting a hand on Jack's back, guided him back into what was standing of Yusei's apartment. "So, you see, I recently found out that as far as men's fashion goes, mustaches are all the rage…"

Yusei pinched the bridge of his nose in a rare show of desperation. This was going to be a long hour indeed.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Jack's apartment, a very distraught Carly Carmine was trying to reseal all the boxes she had opened in her quest to eliminate all traces of a certain incident. The pie was baking and she had to let a bit more time pass before she could get on with her chicken parmesan, so she decided to clean up what was left of the living room. Opening the window as far as it would go to make the smell of the bug spray go away, she searched the place for duct tape. _How is it even possible that there is no duct tape in this place? He is moving!  
_ Resisting the urge to crawl in a corner and die, Carly tidied the place up as best as she possibly could, double-checking the hallway stack to ensure that the other half of the coffee table was safely inconspicuous in its hiding location.

Finding nothing more to do, she returned to the kitchen once more, cleaning up the counter and taking out dishes and cutlery to set the table. It was a simple job that allowed her to relax as she worked… until the smell coming from the oven hit her nostrils. She inhaled the scent before a worried look settled on her face.

 _I don't think this is how an apple pie should smell…_

Carefully approaching the oven, she opened it just enough for the heat to not hit her in the face, however with her glasses out of the picture, it was no good. She could hardly make out the pan, however the smell coming off of it had her understandably worried. Trying to keep the feeling of impending doom from overtaking her, she shut the oven and took a few calming breaths.

 _I followed the recipe word for word. I don't really know how to bake, maybe this is how it always smells before it is ready… yes, yes, that must be it. I will just get on with the rest and stop worrying needlessly is what I'll do. This must not go wrong, otherwise I will blow my chance to apologize to Jack properly and-_

The reporter shook her head. _I cannot think like that. It will go just fine._

With renewed determination and slightly shaky legs, Carly took out another pan and the bread crumb mix for the chicken and began working, concentrating hard to ignoring the smells that became all the more strange as time passed.

* * *

"-and this is why I always thought that an imperial beard would look really good on Yusei, especially considering that the camera makes his face look a bit more chubby than it actually is." Crow finished, looking at Jack expectantly.

 _This is getting out of hand._

…

 _Does my face really look that chubby on camera?_

"Enough! I've had enough of this!" Jack yelled, his nostrils flaring as he stared at Crow with a look of pure rage. Yusei couldn't really blame the blonde for snapping. Crow had taken "nonsensical" to a whole new level in his first three sentences- and he and Jack had spent the last twenty minutes listening to everything that came out of his mouth in regards to mustaches, molecular destabilization of the frog ecosystem because of the mass production of cheddar cheese –which Yusei was convinced was not even a thing-, Crow's theory about how one of them was related to the long-since dead president of the Kaiba corporation and his secret lover whom he had met during a tournament in the legendary Duelist Kingdom –complete with "discreet" coughs of Jack's name- and finally how much Yusei would benefit from a beard. Which he wouldn't.

"Something wrong?" Crow inquired, trying to look innocent. In Yusei's opinion it looked more like a delinquent who had just set the school on fire.

"You two have been trying to stop me from going home for the entire evening and I _will_ know why!"

The blonde's furious gaze was nothing to laugh at and Yusei found himself at the receiving end of it. Unintentionally, the black-haired duelist checked the time. _Seven thirty. Just thirty more minutes._ "What are you talking about Jack? We've done nothing of the sort."

"The idiot blew up the house!"

"Hey! Who are you calling an idiot you moron! And I told you! It was an anti-theft measure!"

"Bollocks! I demand to know what the bloody hell is going on, right this instant!"

"Jack, calm down!"

"I will not "calm down"! I don't know what the hell you think you can hide from me, but I am finding out! I'm out of h-".

Jack Atlas never quite got to finish that sentence.

Yusei stared in horror at his fallen friend and comrade, before falling on his knees and shaking him carefully. "Jack?"

"Who's the idiot now, you idiot!" Crow yelled triumphantly. The red-head was brandishing a metal pipe, a means to achieve his goal of delaying the former champion, as well as extracting a little bit of personal revenge. Neither sentiment of accomplishment was shared by his other childhood friend.

The silence stretched on for a full minute before Crow broke it. "I will fetch a shovel." And he turned around to do just that, as a groan escaped the unconscious duelist's mouth. "Or not."

Yusei's death glare forced the spiky-haired man to cower back. "Help me put him on the couch and fetch some ice. And if he won't wake up within the next thirty minutes in as good condition as possible, I will personally run you over with your own Duel Runner." The threat had been delivered with a calm and cold voice, one that Crow had never heard his friend use before. Nodding once, he went into the kitchen to do what he was asked.

 _I should probably not tell him about the basement then._

* * *

Carly was exhausted, but relatively satisfied with herself. The chicken was all but ready, the time for the pie to finish baking was almost up and the house was clean. Well, the kitchen and the living room were, anyway. The smell of the bug spray had gone out completely as well, so she didn't really have to worry about Jack finding out about _that._ As for the coffee table… she was putting her money on being out of here when he did find out.

She gave an appreciative look around once more. She had taken advantage of Yusei's kindness with non-too heavy a heart and bought a nice table-cloth, along with a pair of candles, which she had lit.

 _Almost like a date,_ she thought to herself, placing her hands at her cheeks, blushing furiously. _Stay on target Carly. You must stay on target._

She checked her watch one more time: eight o'clock.

 _I should remember to thank Yusei, although I cannot imagine it was too difficult to keep Jack there with Duel Monsters… but all the same._

With a satisfied nod, Carly Carmine continued to pretend nothing smelled funny and that everything was going to go as she had planned.

 _A perfect d-apology dinner._

 **A/N: Will Crow need that shovel? Do apple pies really smell that way? Stay tuned in for the next and final chapter! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And here it is! Brace yourselves, for a journey beyond space and time, through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, where love overcomes all!**

 **...**

 **Yeah, sure, I may be exagerating things a bit. But anyway, on to chapter 2! :D**

* * *

Jack Atlas blinked a few times to clear his vision as consciousness once more returned. A terrible headache made itself known, however, as soon as that happened, causing the blonde to lay back down with a groan.

"Hey, Yus! He is waking up!" a familiar, rather relieved voice yelled over him. As if a trigger had been pulled, the evening's events came back, along with a feeling of unbridled rage. "I should point out it's only been twenty nine minutes!"

"How is he?" a worried Yusei asked from the door.

"Kill you… I… will…" Jack managed to spit out before talking became far too much for him. Once more, he settled back and tried to calm his twitching fingers.

"I think he is just fine."

"Maybe we should take him to a hospital."  
"N-no…I am… fine."

"He is fine! No need to bring people who may ask inane questions like "how did this happen" and "he seems to have been hit with a blunt object, would you happen to know anything about it"!"

"Kill… you…"

Jack could practically feel the Glare radiating off of Yusei. "Bring some more ice Crow. And don't speak for a few hours. It will make life easier for us all."

"What? But he cannot stay here for _hours_ Yusei, what about Ca-"

" _Crow. Ice. Now."_

Jack wasn't sure how much more time passed as he slowly recovered, but the soothing cold of the icepack on his head did wonders, as well as the aspirins he gratefully swallowed with Yusei's help. His head was pounding considerably less now and, as coherent thoughts that did not involve murder made their appearance, Jack carefully sat up. Yusei's concerned face was the first thing he saw, which prompted annoyance to overwhelm him.

"I am not dying Yusei, stop fussing over me. I am not so soft that a…"

"Metal pipe."

"Metal pipe?" the blonde asked incredulously.

"Metal pipe. Crow apparently has a collection in the basement and one on his person at all times."

"But… how?"

"No idea. I am not really sure I even want to know the answer to that." the other duelist informed him seriously.

Jack shook his head. "My point is, I am fine. I just need to lie down for a bit when I get home."

"That's right!" Crow's head emerged from the side of the door. "No big deal! We don't need to inform the police or anything-"

" _Crow!"_

"Fine, fine, I am leaving…"

Yusei shook his head in resigned exasperation and turned his attention back to the blonde. "I imagine you will need a ride home?"

Jack scoffed. "As if. I will get my own ride- one that I can be certain will actually take me straight home and not in circles around the city. Or try to blow me up on the way."

"I _told_ you, it's my home-made anti-theft system!"

" _Crow!"_

"Fine, fine…"

Making sure that the redhead had retreated once more in the back of the house, Yusei turned to Jack. "I promise to take you straight home, no detours."

The former champion glared at his friend before sighing in resignation. "Very well. Get moving then, I don't want to spend a single second more in the same house as Crow- I may actually kill him if I have to listen to his voice one more ti-"

"Hey Jack, leaving already?"

Yusei suppressed a smirk. As the bloodlust radiated off of the blonde duelist, he gently guided him towards the exit, shooting a warning glance at his other childhood friend. Mercifully, Crow seemed to finally take the hint and not speak a single syllable, but not without a wild grin and a thumbs up.

 _Carly better be very, very grateful._

* * *

For her part, Carly was certain that she could safely say she had done her very best.

Sometimes however, one's best is not nearly enough.

 _It's not too late! I can still abuse Yusei's money and order something from somewhere! Oh dear, I've really done it this time!_

The only suitable term that could come to one's mind regarding her current predicament, would most likely be "disaster". The apple pie she had put so much effort into smelled as some sort of pizza reject that had escaped from the bottoms of culinary hell and somehow made it into the kitchen, with its greenish color being the least of the problems. Her parmesan mix smelled suspiciously like something had crawled inside and died there and the salad dressing smelled as if it contained more vinegar than it was probably safe to consume in a day. It was already eight thirty- Jack would be back at any moment, so making everything from scratch was probably out of the question, even if she still had the ingredients to do so. As she sank on her knees in desperation, she looked around the kitchen as if that would somehow present her with a solution.

 _Maybe if I pour enough whipped cream on top of the pie he will not notice?_ Looking at the "pie", she ruled that idea out as well. _And the smell… I need to do something about the smell too! Oh dear me, what have I done…_

Hurriedly she stood up, dusted herself and began the difficult task of salvaging whatever she could.

 _First things first. That pie goes to the trash and then straight out of the window._

If nothing else, she could at the very least draw what little happiness she could from that.

* * *

Jack Atlas was certain that something was wrong. In fact, that was painfully obvious from the get-go, considering the behavior of both Yusei and the idiot. And even for Crow's standards, low as they were, that day's incidents had been strange. Jack was a lot of things, but a fool wasn't one of them. For whatever reason they were doing it, the idiot duo was trying to keep him from going home. When he sat back and thought about it, he wanted to smack himself for allowing them to accomplish their goals, first by allowing Yusei to goad him, then by giving the redhead the time of day.

For his part, Yusei had been silent for the duration of the ride, simply staring out of the window at Neo Domino City. As much as Jack felt the need to demand some answers, he really did not wish to create a scene inside the cab, something he suspected the brunette was fully aware of and shamelessly exploiting. It wasn't the longest ride Jack had ever had, but it was definitely a close second.

When they finally reached his apartment complex and parted ways, Jack let a sigh of relief escape him. He wanted nothing more than a hot shower, a good night's sleep and a couple more painkillers for his throbbing head. And as for packing, since Yusei and Crow liked having him around so much, they would be thrilled to spend their morning helping him catch up on what he had missed today. _They better be._

All thoughts of horrible revenge, inflicted with extreme prejudice, fled his mind altogether however the moment he found himself in front of his very much destroyed front door. The area around the lock seemed to have been broken with some powerful force and completely destroyed. _Is someone-_

The noises coming from the inside of the house seemed to answer that question.

 _Who would dare enter_ _ **my**_ _house?_

Quickly, the former champion began assessing the situation. _I have no idea how many there are, but it is unlikely there are any more than two._ He looked back at the door. _And not professionals at that. Could it have something to do with Yusei and Crow keeping me from getting home?_ At that thought, he narrowed his eyes. _They better not have anything to do with this or so help me…_

He gave a light push to the door, trying to open it without too much noise, but found it shut with something from the other side. Frowning, he applied a bit more pressure, and whatever was blocking the entrance easily made way. The person or people from inside his apartment didn't seem to realize anything, thankfully, so he slid through the small opening as quietly as possible. Taking a look around, nothing had really been moved or taken, however, he angrily took note of the fact that all of the boxes he had neatly packed the days prior had been opened. _They were looking for something specific then?_ Unconsciously, he touched his deck in his coat pocket, as if to make sure it was still in place. He could hear commotion from the kitchen, so he made his way there, careful to not tip the intruder off. He was used to making his presence known wherever he went, but there was a time and a place for that. Right now, he was simply glad that his days in the Satellite had taught him a lot of ways to sneak up on some idiot who thought they could take advantage of him.

Finally reaching the side of the room's entrance, he slowly inched closer. He couldn't really see who was inside, but all the hustle indicated that they were still searching there for whatever it was they were looking for, which meant they hadn't noticed him entering. He cursed silently for not being able to have a visual of the thief's position; however he had the advantage of knowing the general lay-out of the kitchen. He hadn't heard a second set of feet, only a few whimpers that sounded female, along with a great deal of commotion and a disgusting smell. _What on Earth is the meaning of this?_

Taking a final step that placed him in the intruder's line of sight, Jack prepared to demand an explanation and, if necessary, physically restrain the unknown person.

He hardly expected what he actually came upon.

"Carly? "

Clearly, startling the reporter wasn't a wise course of action, even if one was going to become the King of Dueling someday.

With a small shriek, the brunette whirled around and Jack only had time to catch a glimpse of her swirling hair and wide eyes, before she lost her balance. As she frantically tried to regain her pace, the pan in her hands was sent flying through the air. Time seemed to stop as the pan fell on the floor and the smelly contents exploded all over the place- including the people in the kitchen.

 _Huh?_

Stunned as he was, Jack slowly picked a small piece of the mushy concoction out of his hair and stared at it perplexed. He noted its greenish color and mushy feel, as the smell of burned apple and cheese engulfed him.

 _Huh?_

"J-Jack, I, uh…"

The reporter's stuttering snapped him back to reality, but all he could do was stare at his kitchen, now covered with the same weird slime that covered him and he was unable to utter a word. He was past that point of rage where one screams and curses, far from it. No, he was at that point where murder was a perfectly valid course of action. The back of his head was throbbing slightly again and the smell of the combination between cheese, apple and something else that was completely unidentifiable to him, all made him want to snap something in half and then feed that something its own intestines. Preferably Crow. So, when his voice came out calm and collected, it surprised even him.

"What is the meaning of this, Carly?"

The brunette flushed scarlet and Jack inwardly cursed his luck that day several times. He couldn't quite understand anything that came out of Carly's mouth aside from random words. Well, there was one word. The bespectacled girl kept apologizing over and over, but most of _what_ she was apologizing for was lost in a torrent of incomprehensibility. After a couple of minutes, Jack had reached the end of his severely limited patience. With a fast movement, he grasped her shoulder while at the same time putting the other hand over her mouth to make her shut up.

"Carly! I can't understand a thing you are saying. Speak English woman!"

He instantly regretted his tone when big, fat tears streamed down her eyes and for the first time tonight, he noticed she was not wearing her glasses. With a sigh, he removed his hand and looked down at her.

"What happened to your glasses?"

"H-Huh? Oh, um, I tripped and they broke. I am so sorry Jack! But no worries, you really don't have to pay for them this time!"

 _That's right. She doesn't know._ Carly's current glasses were not really the ones she had lost during the war with the Dark Signers. While he wasn't a sentimental person himself, Jack had found it impossible to part with that pair. He had ordered an identical pair to be custom made for her and in return he had kept the original. Her silly, childish glasses that embodied perfectly her airheaded nature, but at the same time kept her most inner thoughts hidden from everyone. Everyone but him, that was. Those thoughts seemed to evaporate his anger and he stared down at her clear blue eyes, even wet as they were with tears. Without realizing it himself, his hand slowly moved its way from her shoulder to cup her cheek and keep her from looking away. To his slight amusement, she became even redder than she already was. _She is like an open book._

Of course, he never once thought that Carly was actually trying to hide her feelings for him. No, she was always wearing her heart on her sleeve, allowing her thoughts to always be obvious and clear as day. It was why he enjoyed being around her, even if he disliked showing it- he had spent too big a part of his life always on guard and even longer around people with hidden intentions. To meet someone like her, who couldn't bluff her way out of a paper bag, it was refreshing.

And that was why he couldn't bring himself to put her in danger again.

If it was any other person, he would have probably not stress over everything so much. In fact, since all other people he knew where very capable duelists, he never felt the need to worry for their safety, unless he decided that his interference was needed.

But he had already failed her once.

"Um, Jack? Why are you staring at me like that?" Carly eventually broke the silence between them, bringing Jack back to his senses. He hurriedly removed his hand from her face and stood up, looking at the sudden mess that had befallen his kitchen. Carly was standing a few feet away from him, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her face still red as a tomato.

 _I swear, I should have her clean this all up, honestly…_ he shook his head and a pang of pain shot through the back of his skull. With a groan, he tried to avoid stepping on any of the random green puddles of whatever new chemical substance Carly had created and reached for aspirins and a glass in the cupboards. After he swallowed the pills he turned to look at the brunette, who seemed to still be stuttering apologies to herself.

"Carly, honestly. What were you trying to do here?"

He gave her a few moments to gather herself. "I… well, I…" _Just spit it out,_ she seemed to be thinking, but once more, he decided not to press her. Yet.

"I was trying to make you dinner." she finally admitted in a low voice.

"Make me dinner? Why would you think I can't make dinner on my own?" he questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not that! I think you are perfectly capable of making dinner, really! I just… I well, I wanted to apologize. Make it special."

"Apologize? Apologize for what?"

"I was told everything. About becoming a Dark Signer. About trying to kill you."

The silence that followed that statement was thick enough that Jack would be able to cut it with a knife. "Carly-"

"I just wanted to apologize to you about everything. It's just that, I don't remember anything and I really wanted to make it up to you and-"

He couldn't help himself anymore. He burst into laughter. Loud, hearty laughter, doubling over and holding his stomach, the full course. One that wouldn't make anyone hearing it understand that the turn this discussion had taken was an entirely too unpleasant one.

"H-hey! Jack, I am serious! Cut it out!"

He couldn't stop. "You idiot." She really thought she had something to apologize for. He owed her so much and in the end, she still thought that she had something to apologize for.

"I beg your pardon! No need to be rude Jack!" she stomped her way over to him and gave him a light smack on the head.

As he finally calmed down a bit and rose to his full height, he stared down at those clear blue eyes, took note of the tears of embarrassment at their corners. Without breaking eye contact, he raised his hands and wiped them away with his thumb.

"E-eh?" was all she managed to say, taking a surprised step back.

He could now see why Yusei and Crow had done so much to keep him from returning early. _I may have to actually thank them later. Or at least Yusei._

"You can be such an idiot sometimes Carly."

"I get it already! No need to be so mean! I did this all for you you know, so you could at the very leas-"

Carly didn't quite get to finish her sentence this time around, seeing as Jack had chosen that moment to cover her lips with his own. The brunette gave a surprised squeak that had him smirking as he moved his lips over her frozen ones. He drank in the sight of her eyes going wide with shock and he could almost see the thoughts going through her mind. Snaking a hand around her waist, he pulled her slightly closer, certain that she would faint.

To his surprise, she didn't.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Carly pressed her body on his, kissing him fervently. Not one to back down from such a direct challenge, he abandoned his playful manner and kissed her back with equal ferocity. Neither closed their eyes and it was intoxicating to be able to see her emotions so plainly.

Eventually, the need for air forced them apart and Carly, returning to her usual self, blushed scarlet and just stood there, looking surprised. Jack wasn't sure whether it was at him or herself.

Yes, it was true that he had lost her once. And it was true that it had been his fault. But he would make sure that there would never be a second time.

"Thank you." he finally blurted out, something he had to say to her for a while.

"W-what are you talking about? I am the one who-"

"Honestly you idiot." he cut in, exasperated. "There is nothing to apologize for. Well," he gave a pointed look around the kitchen, "there _are_ a couple of things I imagine you should, concerning today's events…"

"I _get_ it Jack!"

"Excellent! Now, I believe it's time for you to go home." Grabbing her glasses and bag from the counter, he put a hand at the small of her back and gently guided her towards the destroyed door. He knew that she was currently too stunned to function, so he decided to grab the chance. _It's probably the last time I will have such an opportunity._

"Huh?"

"I have a splitting migraine thanks to the two dimwits you enlisted to help you out in this foolishness you see. I could use some rest."

"I...I... uh, uh, wait a second-" she began to struggle a bit, but he remained firm.

"Don't strain yourself, Carly. You've had a long day. How about you come over tomorrow afternoon. We'll talk everything out then. For now, I need to have some peace and quiet. I imagine, with us officially dating now, it'll be the last bit of peace and quiet I'll get." Reaching the pitiful remains of his house exit, he pushed her outside before she had a chance to gather herself and fight back properly. "Goodnight."

"H-huh? Wait, you jerk!" she yelled as he shut the door behind her in a swift motion, her brain finally catching up with the present time.

Jack remained behind the door for a few minutes, worried that the reporter would march right back in and demand an explanation. When nothing happened, he carefully placed the box she had previously used behind the door and made a mental note to fix the lock.

Walking back inside the kitchen, he took in the full magnitude of the number she had done on the room. He inspected the set-up of the room, rolling his eyes at places, frowning in disgust at others, wishing he could un-see certain things that had been the… less successful results. He entertained the thought of cleaning up tonight, but the exhaustion of surviving an explosion and a metal pipe to the back of his head, told him to forget about it entirely. With a chuckle, he rested his back on the kitchen wall, taking in the mess. _What have I gotten myself into…?_ He knew that Carly was nothing if not a handful. He was certain the airheaded reporter would drag him from one ridiculous situation to another and that, at the end of the day, he would be left to clean up after one unbelievable mess after another.

He picked a piece of her green concoction from his hair and looked at it.

He didn't think he minded all that much.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I would like to once more thank TTY7 for going through coma hell for me and SuperNova23 for giving me this challenge and introducing me to the woderful world of Yugioh 5Ds, that is so full of adventure and romance and WHY DOESN'T ANYONE GET TOGETHER WITH ANYONE? I DON'T UNDERSTAND!**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! Cheers! :D**


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